Toxic Substance Releases - Environmental Trends in British Columbia 2002, State of Environment Reporting, Strategic Policy, Planning and Intergovernmental Relations Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection

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Toxic Contaminants in British Columbia

On-Site Toxic Substance Releases in BC (tonnes)

on site toxic substance releases

SOURCE: Environment Canada 2001. The National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) 2000.

British Columbia’s on-site toxic waste releases were the highest in Canada and accounted for about 33% of the national total. In 2000, industrial facilities in British Columbia reported on-site releases of 122,078 tonnes of 248 toxic contaminants to the National Pollutant Release Inventory. Eighty-two percent of British Columbia’s reported waste releases were disposal of hydrogen sulphide, a flammable poisonous gas that is injected into underground reservoirs at great depth. The next most commonly reported releases were of ammonia (7.8%) and methanol (4.4%).